


The Veil

by VividestList



Series: Ghost Hunt AU [2]
Category: Ghost Hunt, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Ghost Hunt AU, I mean it's not as horror driven as the last one, It's the other yuuri's turn to suffer, M/M, Paranormal Investigator!Viktor, Psychic!Phichit, Psychic!Yuri, angst mostly tbh, makes you kinda wanna go "what are you DOING??", more stressful really, psychic!yuuri
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:27:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25121635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VividestList/pseuds/VividestList
Summary: Yuuri and Viktor are on the final stages of moving Yuuri and his team to SPR Russia. The final season of Yuuri and Phichit's show has been planned and is almost ready to be filmed, but a call from Yuri to help on one of their new cases puts a strain on their relationship. Yuuri is sure the spirit that rests in a hidden room in Sara and Mila's house is a victim in all this, and is willing to risk himself to grant her requests and set her free, even if the others have their doubts. Isn't that why he's the lone person being tormented by the malicious spirit? But... why is Viktor the image used to do it and why is he so against Yuuri helping a spirit in need? Maybe this wasn't going to work after all...
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Phichit Chulanont & Katsuki Yuuri
Series: Ghost Hunt AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1227296
Comments: 34
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You have successfully peer-pressured me into posting the second arc, although, fair warning, I only have two chapters complete and I lowkey forgot the character's names, but I'll get it! Just gotta pop back on wikipedia and rewatch all 12 episodes... Lucky for you, I remember I liked how I'd written this fic, so enjoy! You worked hard for it...

Yuuri and his team stood in the dirt driveway of an old house that stood just before a gray forest. Behind it, the trees cowered, unwilling to approach it and only skirting around it as they advanced, then ended, corralled by the cracked, bumpy road behind them. The stillness felt throughout the area made no attempt at feigning safe like their last case. It felt cold, menacing. 

“Creepy,” Phichit mumbled beside him. 

“The energy around here isn’t too great, either. It feels like the calm before the storm…” Leo mumbled, looking to Guang-Hong, who nodded.

“Like something’s waiting to attack just around the corner.”

“Every case we take,” Otabek shrugged. 

“We’re physically incapable of taking a peaceful case,” Phichit sighed, turning to Yuuri. “How do you feel about this place, Yuuri?” 

Yuuri’s eyes scanned over the house, almost expecting something to be at a window, watching them, but didn’t see anything. He found it a challenge to look away from the house to respond to Phichit, his mind screaming at him to be vigilant. 

“I… don’t like it. At all. It feels heavy and there’s a ravenous hatred that’s so deeply sewn into the land and home,” Yuuri responded, wrapping his arms around himself. He could feel the energy of the house alone making him anxious to the point where his heart felt heavy in his chest and his breathing had to be consciously slowed. 

“Yuuri, if you don’t want to—“

“No… I can handle it. Yuri called us here. He called  _ me _ here. He needs us,” he said, pushing himself forward as he began walking towards the house, stopping abruptly when the door was thrown open. 

“ _ Yuuri!” _ He heard Yuri call before he broke into a sprint towards them. Yuri looked like he was going to make to hug Yuuri, but held himself back and stood just a foot in front of the man, a little shyer with his affection towards anyone other than Otabek and his grandfather, as Yuuri well knew by now. “You came,” he sighed in relief. 

“Of course we came, you called us,” Yuuri laughed, pulling Yuri into a hug, that Yuri timidly returned. Yuri nodded against him, then pulled away and moved to Otabek and wrapped the man’s arm around himself. Otabek smiled as he did, and pressed a kiss to Yuri’s temple; the action no longer drawing a blush from him.

“We should go inside. Did you tell Viktor you were coming?” Yuri asked, leading them up the rest of the driveway and towards the house.

“After you had called. I asked him for more information and he helped us get everything together. Why? Did you not tell him?” Yuuri responded, pausing in his search of whatever was causing the feeling of dread to face Yuri. 

He had called them a day prior, while Celestino, Phichit, Otabek, and himself had been going over case files that had been submitted, planning their next and final season, after which they would work with Viktor and Yuri at the Russian branch of the Society for Psychical Research. 

Yuri hadn’t said much beyond voicing his unease over their new case, and Yuuri had agreed to help without a second thought, organizing everything to arrive as soon as possible. It made things easier that his entire team was in one country this time, and they arrived as quickly as the day following his call. 

“I assumed you would,” Yuri shrugged, opening the door stepping in with the others. 

“Have you started the investigation yet?” 

“No, I saw something before we got here that made me think this case might be a little bigger than us two. We just got here yesterday and Viktor asked Sara and Mila if they could wait until backup came.”

Yuuri hummed in understanding. 

“How have your visions been, by the way?” 

“Better. More relevant, but still annoying as all he-“ 

Yuuri was almost knocked backwards by the sudden weight of someone launching themselves at him. He felt a hand on the small of his back steady him, as the second cradled the back of his head and both held him firmly against the person holding him. He made to let out a startled noise at the suddenness of it, but it was silenced by the mouth on his. Yuuri responded as soon as he recognized the man in front of him and melted into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Viktor’s neck.

Viktor pulled away before Yuuri could deepen it further, leaving him dazed and out of breath. He rested his forehead against Yuuri’s, a bright smile on his face as he looked into Yuuri’s eyes. “I missed you,” he whispered. 

Yuuri attempted to respond in kind, but all that fell from his lips was a jumbled mess of sound.

“You’re here!” A woman’s voice called out, snapping Yuuri back to the present where he became very aware of their audience. He could feel his face go bright red, the incredible heat he felt to the tips of his ears making it impossible to pretend he still had any of his dignity. Beside him, Viktor looked calm, if not a little pleased with himself as he kept an arm around Yuuri. 

Yuuri buried his face into his side and took a deep breath before he turned to see the two women stepping into the room. 

“Viktor told us that he was bringing in more people, but I didn’t think it would be you! I-we love your show!” A black haired woman told him, excitedly. “My name is Sara and this is my wife, Mila. We’re really grateful that you would come all the way out here to help.” 

Yuuri took in both women: they were beautiful, their features a stark contrast from each other: Mila’s hair was red, and much shorter than Sara’s, and subtly wavy as opposed to the other’s straight, long hair. Mila’s skin was also pale, opposed to Sara’s olive colored skin and where Mila exuded confidence and strength, and playfulness, Sara gave off a kind, flirtatious, excitable feeling. 

“It’s no trouble at all,” Yuuri blushed, very aware of the arm Viktor had around his waist. “We’re happy to help. I’m Yuuri, this is Phichit, Leo, Guang-Hong, and that’s Otabek,” Yuuri said, pointing out each member of his team as he named them. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mila said, shaking their hands. 

“Likewise. Would you like to tell us about the activity you’ve experienced?” Phichit asked. 

“Right.. um… well we can’t have you just standing around, we can talk in the living room,” Sara said. 

***

They relocated, walking into the living room that was divided from the kitchen by different flooring and a counter, with Yuuri pressed against Viktor’s side, basking in the feeling of being with him again after the month they had been apart spent arranging their final season. 

“If you could please start from the beginning,” Viktor said, setting a recording device on the coffee table in front of them. He and Yuuri were sat in the middle of the couch, facing the kitchen, with Yuri and Phichit on each side of them, Otabek sitting off to the side on a recliner with his laptop open on his lap, and Leo and Guang-Hong sitting on the arms of the couch, while Sara and Mila shared a loveseat across from Otabek. 

“W-well, it started about four months ago, a month after we had moved in. At first it was nothing. Things would end up in different places, vases, pictures, plates would fall on their own. It was fine, but then Sara started waking up with small scratches, and I was having these awful nightmares, and hardly even slept anymore. There was also this horrible smell that would just move throughout the rooms, and we thought maybe some small animal had wandered in from the woods behind the house and died, but we cleaned the whole place and found nothing. Things got really bad recently. I mean  _ bad _ . I got pushed down the stairs-” everyone froze as cackling could be heard echoing throughout the house, as if this person was laughing at what had happened. 

Yuuri stood, eyes searching the room. He caught a glimpse of the two women and Viktor watching him in confusion. There was something here, something evil. It made his heart beat faster, and his breathing become choppier.

Yuuri slowly moved past the women, who were now standing as well, catching sight of one of the ceramic plates as it teetered in the open cabinet, standing on its own. The laughter grew louder and Yuuri saw her as she grinned menacingly at him before plates began flying in their direction. 

“Get down!” Yuri commanded, and Yuuri was quick to knock the two women to the ground. From the corner of his eye he saw the others get down, too, getting behind the coffee table for protection, while Yuuri and the two women were left out in the open. 

He braced himself, shielding them the best he could, but the hits never came. He looked up to find that the kitchen table had somehow made its way in front of them. He looked back to find Viktor panting, and mouthed a thank you. 

The attack continued until nothing was left intact; pictures on the walls were ruined, the cabinets were empty, and the dishes were in pieces all over the floor. Yuuri felt the negative energy flicker out of range, and slowly stood, taking in the destruction. Viktor had his arms around him as soon as the attack had stopped, startling him, but once again, he was quick to warm up to the gentle, familiar touch.

After a few moments, Viktor pulled back, pressing relieved kisses on every inch of his face. 

“Are you okay? Did anything hit you, my love? How are you feeling?” He asked between kisses. He pulled back again, looking Yuuri over for any marks. 

“I-I'm fine, Vitya, really. You kept us safe. I should be the one who's worried; moving something that big, are you feeling lightheaded?” Yuuri asked, cradling Viktor's head in his hands. 

Viktor kissed his palm, nuzzling his cheek into Yuuri's hands, a look of adoration on his face that turned Yuuri's already pink face even redder. “I'd move mountains for you, darling.” 

“We're here  _ on a case _ ,” Yuri called out to them, bringing them back to the situation at hand. 

Yuuri slowly peeked over Viktor's shoulder to find the others watching them in a mixture of expressions, ranging from Yuri's annoyed to Otabek's uncaring. He bowed his head, feeling his whole face heat up in embarrassment as he quickly turned away from them and to the two women.

“We’ll definitely take your case.” 

***

After they had cleaned the mess of shattered dishes and splintered wood, the women led them through the large, old house, recalling encounters they’d had in each part of the house. 

Yuuri had been listening closely, but was distracted by the sound of a woman crying. He slowed his steps until the others had passed him, taking advantage of their distraction to wander off and towards the sound of the crying. It became louder as he stepped into the master bedroom, seemingly coming from the wall behind an old dresser. 

Yuuri pressed his ear against the wall, hearing the steady sob of a woman. He pursed his lips, looking behind him to the door, but couldn’t hear the others close by. 

He pushed the dresser aside, with a small grunt, revealing a part of the wall that had a slightly different colored wood paneling. 

He pushed the dresser further, exposing the whole thing. He tugged at the wooden boards, finding that they came off easily, and the wood even crumbled in his hands—probably due to age— and found the beginnings of a door just behind it. He continued to yank free boards of wood that snapped and dissolved beneath his fingers until the entirety of it was revealed. He stopped for a moment, looking back out into the hallway, for a moment considering calling someone else to investigate with him, but for no reason or feeling thought against it and cautiously pulled the door open. 

The sound of crying became louder, and Yuuri could see the silhouette of a woman sitting at the center of the room, holding an old stuffed bear. The entire room looked like it was meant for a child, with a cobweb covered rocking horse in the corner, and a shelf full of old wooden toys and books. Yuuri took a cautious step closer to the woman, kneeling down beside her, noticing her clothes looked old fashioned. 

“Are you alright?” He asked, laying a hand on her shoulder. 

The woman turned to him, revealing the long gash on her throat. Yuuri drew back with a small gasp as the woman moved closer to him, while he tried to back away, still on the floor. 

“ _ My son _ ,” the woman said, barely above a whisper, her voice shaky from her crying. “ _ They killed my son!” _ She shrieked, moving to loom over Yuuri, who only had time to lean away, until she was only inches away from his face. The phantom blood pouring out of her wound dripped onto him, chilling him to the bone with no trace left anywhere but his heart. 

“W-who?” Yuuri asked.

“ _ They killed him _ ,” the woman repeated, suddenly standing, and moving away from Yuuri to sit on the rocking chair beside the small bed, looking down at the stuffed bear in her hands. 

“ _ Who _ killed him?  _ W-where? Why _ ?” Yuuri asked again, standing and taking a small step towards the woman. 

At the sound of his movement she looked up, a hateful look directed at Yuuri, or rather, beyond Yuuri. 

“ _ Husband and  _ her,” she hissed before vanishing entirely. 

He turned to where the woman looked to find nothing there, but feeling the same dread he had felt earlier when she had appeared. 

“Yuuri!” Viktor called from just outside the room, before he ran in, looking panicked when he stepped in. “Why did you wander off?” He asked, pulling Yuuri into a tight hug. 

When he finally pulled back, he seemed to take notice of where they were. “What is this?” 

“I don’t know. I heard a woman crying, and it was coming from the wall and when I moved the dresser there was a door that had been covered up.” 

“Did the woman do anything to you?” 

“No,” Yuuri shook his head, looking to the rocking chair where she had last been. “But she said her husband and a woman had killed her son. I… do you think the thing that has been attacking Sara and Mila is the woman?” 

“We’ll ask Yura and Otabek to look into it,” Viktor reassured him. “Let’s get back to the others and explain to Sara and Mila how you destroyed their room,” he joked, making Yuuri pout. 

Viktor laughed, pressing a languid kiss to Yuuri’s lips until he felt him drop his pout and kiss back with a small laugh of his own. 

“Okay, but I’m sure they would have liked to know that their room had a hidden room adjacent where a murder and possible kidnapping took place long ago.” 

“Naturally. Maybe even before they bought the place.” 

***

Yuuri shifted nervously as he stood in front of Mila and Sara. They had been quiet for longer than he would have liked after he had told them what he had found. 

“C-can we see it?” Mila finally asked.

“Yes, of course! It’s your house and I wouldn’t think of restricting your access to any part of it. Besides, I wanted to have Phichit take a look at it.” 

“Yura and I will stay here and do some research and set up the equipment,” Otabek said, already typing on his laptop.

“Right. Did you want to take a camera with you?” Yuri asked, picking it up out of its case and holding it out to Viktor, who took it with a quiet ‘thank you.’

***

“And… there’s nothing bad there?” Sara asked, holding onto Mila’s arm as they made their way back. 

“In the sense of something that can do you harm, probably not. I mean, not that I could set apart— this whole place is kind of… echoing bad energy— but there was a great deal of negative energy coming from that room. Something bad happened there, the woman was covered in blood crying over her son, but she wouldn’t tell me exactly what happened. None of her negative emotions seemed directed at me, though, so that should mean we’re not in any danger,” Yuuri explained as they stepped into the room. 

The woman had reappeared, slowly rocking the chair back and forth again as quiet sobs escaped her lips; her hands fiddling with the bear’s ears. She didn’t look up at them, but she seemed to tense up. 

“ _ I don’t want them in here,”  _ she rasped out. 

“I’m sorry, we just wanted to help you find your son,” Yuuri explained. 

“ _ Make them leave.” _

_ “ _ Please, we can help,” Guang-Hong tried, but the woman didn’t even look at him.

“ _ Make them leave. _ ”

“If I do, will you talk to me?” 

She seemed to consider it for a moment, then the chair stopped moving and she looked up. “ _ Yes. Make them leave.” _

“Okay,” Yuuri mumbled. “She doesn’t want you here,” he told the others. “She wants you to get out.” 

Guang-Hong, Phichit, and Leo nodded, leaving the room with Sara and Mila just behind them.

“And you want to… stay here to talk to her?” Viktor asked, not missing the way Yuuri only said ‘you’ and not ‘us.’ 

“Yes-“

“No way,” Viktor interrupted. “I’m not going to leave you in here alone with her. We know nothing about this spirit.”

“I’ll be fine. Viktor, please? Just trust me, okay?” 

_ “Make them leave _ ,” the woman said again, this time, louder. 

“ _ No _ . If you get hurt-“ 

“You’re upsetting her. You’ll get someone hurt, just give me a few minutes.” 

“ _ No _ ,” Viktor repeated more firmly, his eyes meeting Yuuri’s. They stared each other down for several moments before Yuuri heard an enraged shriek and looked to find the rocking horse hurdling their way.

He shoved Viktor backward and out the door, which quickly slammed shut as soon as he was out. The wooden horse smashed against the wall just behind him, shattering completely. 

“I’m sorry. He was just worried. He didn’t mean to upset you. Can you tell me about your son now?” He asked, taking a tentative step closer to the woman. They both ignored the pounding at the door. 

She watched him, and Yuuri began to feel a little nervous. Why hadn’t she wanted anyone else in the room with them? Why had she gotten violent when Viktor wouldn’t leave? He was starting to think this wasn’t such a good idea when she finally spoke. 

“ _ They took him _ ,” she finally said. 

“But  _ how? Where? Why?  _ I can’t help you if you don’t tell me more,” Yuuri pleaded. 

“ _ She seduced my husband. Made him do  _ this _ to me,”  _ she said, signalling to her wounds.  _ “Ran in to keep them away from him. Stabbed. Bleeding. Saw them take him.  _ Crying. Dark _. Woke up. Me and mistress. No son; no husband.”  _

Yuuri waited a moment in silence, wondering if she was going to say anything else, but she didn’t. 

“She… made him ki-hurt you?” She nodded. 

_ “Said I was in the way,” _ she snarled. “ _ Stupid man.” _

“Has she hurt you directly while you’re here?” 

“ _ Taunts me. Doesn’t come here. _ ”

“Why not?” Yuuri asked, looking around the room for anything that would impede her from entering the room. He found it in the form of a horseshoe hanging from the doorframe. 

“ _ The woman is always watching. Out there, careful with others,” _ she said, before she vanished once again. 

The door was thrown open to reveal Viktor breathing heavily, and looking in complete disarray. Yuuri lowered his head, refusing to meet Viktor’s anger. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, peeking up to see his lover’s reaction. 

“No, you’re not,” was all he said before he turned and left the room without a glance back. 

Yuuri opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t come up with anything to keep the man from walking away. He only watched as Viktor left, hand lifted, then drawn to his chest when he reconsidered reaching out. 

“Hey, it’s okay, Yuuri. You’re okay. He’ll get over it, alright?” Phichit said, pulling him into a loose hug. 

“He’s upset with me. We’ve never fought,” Yuuri mumbled into Phichit’s shoulder. 

“We’ll… let you guys talk,” Mila said, leaving the room with Sara, who gave Yuuri a sympathetic smile before she walked out. 

They all sat themselves on the large bed, with the exception of Phichit, who kneeled in front of Yuuri.

“All couples argue. You’ll be okay, Yuuri. Viktor adores you. You just kinda scared him, and he was kinda trying to keep you from doing your job, but it’ll be okay,” Guang-Hong said, rubbing Yuuri’s back. 

“What if I’m not-“

“Nope. Shut up. Get those doubts out of your head,” Phichit said, flicking his forehead. 

Yuuri was about to tell Phichit that he was just being realistic, when a knock made them all look to the door. Viktor stood there awkwardly, his eyes focused on Yuuri. “Can I have a minute?” 

Each of his teammates looked to Yuuri who hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. All three of the boys made their way out of their room, but not without a final glance back at Yuuri, who was keeping his shaking hands between his thighs. 

He’d never really done this dating thing; it had never felt right, and he never felt like he could just put himself into a normal relationship with all of the spiritual stuff consuming his life. But then there was Viktor, and he was  _ everything.  _ He was part of this life, and he was beautiful, and sweet, and smart, and he made Yuuri  _ so happy _ . He was someone he could talk to; who knew and loved parapsychology as much as him, and he was scared that that was about to crumble because he had  _ known _ he wasn’t good enough from the start. 

“I shouldn’t have walked out like that,” Viktor finally said, startling Yuuri out of his mourning of the end. “When we met, I used to pride myself on knowing when you were upset or when you would get stuck in your head, do you remember? My beautiful Yuuri who goes quiet when he thinks he’s done something bad and suffers alone. Sara said you were upset, and I shouldn’t have left you like that,” Viktor said, softly. 

“I’m sorry,” Yuuri whimpered, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. 

Viktor kneeled in front of him, wiping his tears.

“No. No, you’re not. You’re not sorry you did it, and you shouldn’t have to be. You told me that you prioritize your job and I thought I understood that, but between a spirit and your own safety I would choose you every time, and I get frustrated when you don’t choose yourself. 

“I love you so much and I get scared when you put yourself in situations like that— and you have the tendency to do it quite often— and I don’t know what to do with myself. I feel helpless. I feel like we’re worlds away because you have these abilities that are amazing and they let you do things I could only imagine and it makes me feel powerless to help you. 

“I’m so far gone I don’t know what I would do with myself if I lost you, but that doesn’t give me the right to try and cage you up. I’m the only one that needs to apologize, darling. I upset you and then I left you alone to worry without another word. I’m sorry. Would you forgive me?” Viktor wiped the new stream of tears that trickled down Yuuri’s face and picked up each of his trembling hands, placing a kiss on each palm.

Yuuri hiccuped, at the show of affection and nodded, pulling Viktor into a tight hug. He heard him let out a sigh of relief as he held Yuuri close to him.

“You came back really fast,” Yuuri mumbled into his shoulder. “Phichit didn’t even have enough time to get upset enough to start cursing you out,” he joked. 

“Of course I did! Yuuri, it doesn’t matter how angry I am, I would never want to hurt you. It was never my intention to hurt you. I didn’t even think about how you might have felt until Sara told me. You should have been angry with me, and maybe it was because anybody else would have reacted that way that I didn’t think- but you’re not anybody else. You’re you and you’re wonderful and I love everything about you. I was being selfish and I’m sorry.” 

“I love you,” Yuuri whispered back, pulling back to meet Viktor’s eyes. “I’ve never had anything like this and it’s amazing and horrible at the same time because I love having this—I love having you— but I also feel like I could lose you any second and that scares me a-and when you left I thought maybe… you’d reached your limit or you’d gotten sick of me. Next time you’re upset or angry at something I did I don’t want you to just  _ leave _ . I can’t have you just… leave, Vitya. I want you to talk to me and I want us to work it out or for you to tell me if… if we  _ c-can’t  _ work it out because it’s not fair to just leave me here wondering how things are between us or if there’s  _ still even an ‘us _ ,’ okay?” Viktor nodded, wiping his own eyes.

“Okay,” he responded quietly, before a teasing smile spread on his lips. “I don’t think I ever thanked you for saving me from the flying rocking horse,” he said before diving down to kiss Yuuri’s cheeks, forehead, nose, lips, then making his way down to his neck, drawing a squeak from Yuuri’s lips. 

Yuuri laughed at the sensation, gently nudging Viktor away. “Viktor! Stop, we’re on a case!” He managed to gasp out between fits of laughter. 

“There’s my beautiful Yuuri’s smile,” Viktor smiled, wiping the rest of Yuuri’s tears away. “Let’s go back to the others okay?” 

Yuuri nodded, wiping the rest of his tears as he stood, pulling Viktor to his feet, keeping their hands intertwined as they left the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, I'm on a roll! ...I'm just kidding I told y'all I had two chapters done, I was just tryna get 2k words into the next chapter before I posted this one. But! It has begun! The case I mean... anyway :D I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as it's done! Also, yes, two years and I didn't come up with a better case...

“Good, you two made up quickly,” Phichit said, jumping up from his spot on the couch. “So, do you want to tell us what you learned about this place?” 

“Right,” Yuuri said, clearing his throat. “The woman told me that her husband’s mistress had manipulated him into killing her and that the last thing she seems to remember while dying was them taking and killing her son. She had also told me that the woman and herself were the only ones in the house, and that she couldn’t go into-“

“Wait, back up, Katsudon. That was  _ his _ kid?” Yuri yelled, looking over at Otabek’s laptop. “We found an old as shit newspaper that said it was _ a  _ kid. It says that a man killed and sacrificed his wife and  _ a  _ kid with his mistress who was accused of witchcraft before she offed him, too, and then hung herself. If it was his own kid that’s way more fucked up.” 

“So it doesn’t say it was his own kid? Like, at all?” Phichit asked, taking the laptop and scrolling through the article. “Oh… he was too mutilated to be recognizable…” 

“That guy’s stupid ass  _ deserved _ to die,” Yuri grumbled, taking the laptop from Phichit and scrolling through the article himself. 

“Did you find anything else?” Yuuri asked. 

“This… is a lot to take in already,” Mila said, looking nervous. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you-“

“It’s not like you brought any of this here,” Sara responded. “It’s just that sometimes it’s better not to know.”

“We’ll do everything we can to help get rid of whatever is here,” Otabek said, shutting his computer and standing. “We’ll finish setting the cameras up so that we can wrap this up as soon as possible. She’s already acted aggressively in the short amount of time we’ve been here. If we drag it on it might become too dangerous.” 

“Right. We should probably start with the hidden room. It seems to be the one with the most activity so far.”

“M-maybe I should set up the camera there,” Yuuri offered.

“Yeah, she didn’t seem too happy with anyone else in there,” Phichit said, laughing a little awkwardly.

“Why?” Yuri asked, looking between them. “What happened?” 

“Kicked us out,” Leo shrugged. 

“Threw a rocking horse at Viktor,” Guang-Hong added. 

“But why didn’t it want us in there?” Sara asked. 

“Mmm, I would assume it’s our energy.” Leo said. “If the woman hides in that room, then it must feel like her safe space. Naturally, she’s picky about who she wants in there. Yuuri, as a healer, has the best energy out of us-“

“Aside from you,” Guang-Hong interrupted. 

“It’s different. Yuuri has the energy of someone who nurtures— probably something the woman, as a mother, would feel most comfortable with and would most understand. I have more the energy of someone who… cleanses? It’s more of a purifying energy than a pure energy,” he explained, smiling at Guang-Hong. 

“You can see energy?” Mila asked.

“We can sense it. It’s just the feeling a person gives off. Like instinct. You know when you meet a person and they make you feel uneasy and then you find out they’re psychotic? It’s a bit like that. It’s how we can tell if a spirit or haunting is malicious, or fueled by pain, or confused.” 

“Right, well this was a fun talk about auras and shit, but we still have cameras to set up, temperatures to take, walkthroughs to finish, and research to do so let’s start moving,” Yuri said, pushing past them with a camera, a tripod, and a clipboard. Otabek followed closely behind, holding the same things, a small smile on his lips as he watched Yuri stomp around. 

“If you have two cameras you should be in two different places,” Viktor called out, earning a ‘fuck you!’ shouted back by Yuri. 

He shook his head as he watched them continue the same way, then turned to smile down at Yuuri. 

“You should finish doing a walkthrough with your team. I’ll set up the rest of the cameras, since I doubt Otabek and Yuri will get much done,” he joked, picking up his own equipment. He walked past Yuuri and placed a quick kiss on his cheek as he did. 

Yuuri smiled to himself, watching as Viktor left the room. 

“Alright, not that this isn’t cute, but we actually do need to get started,” Phichit said, wrapping an arm around Yuuri’s shoulder.

“You two can come with us if you want or if it makes you feel safer,” Leo suggested to Sara and Mila, who immediately stepped up to their little group and followed as they made their way back to their room so Yuuri could set up a camera.

When they got there, Yuuri stepped into the room, and the other five watched him from the door as he saw the woman was in the room again, still on the chair beside the bed. She didn’t look up as he set up the camera. 

“I’m going to leave this here just to watch for anything, okay?” She didn’t even look up, so Yuuri assumed she was fine with it. 

He considered leaving, but he felt a tug at his heart at seeing the woman alone there. She had lost everything and was betrayed by someone she had loved. “Would you tell me about your son? What was he like?” He asked gently, kneeling in front of the woman, who continued to stroke the ear of the stuffed bear. 

“ _ Happy. Playful. Smart.  _ Beautiful.  _ Love so much. Please bring back. _ ” She said, voice shaky. 

“We’ll do what we can to help you see him again.” She didn’t answer, but stopped stroking the bear’s ear. She looked up and into his eyes, filled with anger. It was overwhelming and Yuuri felt it fill him. 

“If there’s only one thing I can complete while here, believe me that it will be to bring you closure so that you can finally be at peace and see him, but I need your help, too. Can I borrow this?” He asked, motioning to the toy in her hands. “I need something that belongs to your son. It was his, wasn't it?”

_ “Favorite.”  _ She whispered, looking at it for a second before she handed it to Yuuri and left. 

Yuuri held it gently, as if it would turn to dust in his hands if he held it too tight. It made the feelings of despair he had felt begin to bubble up in his chest as he held it in his hands, materializing the horrifying story the woman, the  _ mother _ had told him and that the child had experienced. When he finally stepped out of the room and shut the door behind him, Guang-Hong pulled him into a hug. 

“What’s wrong?” Yuuri asked with a light laugh as he hugged the boy back. 

“That felt awful, even from out here, and you were so close to her,” he mumbled, turning to look at the bear that was still in Yuuri’s hands. “Guess it’s Phichit’s turn to feel it,” he said, releasing Yuuri. 

“Shit, okay,” he said, reaching out cautiously, then drawing back quickly. “Wait, but first: on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad did it feel. I need to mentally prepare myself.”

“6.”

“9.”

“10.” 

“10,” Sara and Mila said in unison. 

Phichit looked between the 5 of them. “Clearly, Yuuri is lying to me. This isn’t the time to try and make me feel better. You’re preparing me for a sting when I’m obviously going to stick my hand in a hornet’s nest that is on fire full of hornets that are also on fire and angry. That’s not what best friends do, Yuuri. You need to give it to me straight,” he said, taking the bear from Yuuri as the man tried not to laugh, glad that Phichit always knew how to lighten the mood. Yuuri almost didn’t want to give him the bear, but Phichit had already taken it from his hands and fallen into a trance. 

Yuuri had an idea of what Phichit was seeing, but could only imagine how awful experiencing it must have been. How awful it would feel to have your mother slaughtered in front of you by your own father, then be dragged off and killed in such a brutal way that your body couldn't be identified- Yuuri snatched the bear away from Phichit. 

“Yuuri, what gives?! I hadn’t even gotten to the part that was relevant to the case!” Phichit complained, trying to take the toy back. 

“We already know what we need to know about what happened to the boy. There’s no point in having you go through that. What could the boy know that would help us solve this case?” Yuuri told him, putting the bear back into the room. “All we need to know is why the murderer is still here. We know the mother is still here because she can’t find her son, but the mistress is the main concern. She’s violent and dangerous, and anyone who would do that to an innocent child is truly evil; I have a feeling tearing her away from this place is going to be hard. We can finish our walkthrough, but I think research is best for this case.” Yuuri turned to his team. 

“You’re probably right. We should be careful until we know just what we’re dealing with. Any spirit that can cause so much destruction is worth treading around lightly, but we should still find the hotspots and at least try and figure out  _ why  _ they’re so active. The story is always at least half the solution,” Leo responded. 

“So we’re going to finish the walkthrough?” Mila asked, looking uncertain about whether she actually  _ wanted _ to know what parts of her home were unsafe. 

“It’s best if we learn where we can best get a firm grasp on the whole story and information about the spirit,” Guang-Hong responded with a sympathetic smile. 

Sara took Mila’s hand in her own and brought it to her lips to kiss her knuckles.

“We’ll show you the rest of the house, then.” 

**___________** _________ **_____________**

Sara and Mila led the way out of the room and to the other side of the house, moving past a room Otabek and Yuri were leaving, and past the stairs. Yuuri was at the tail end of the group, his steps slow as he was lost in thought, over what to make of this case. He clearly understood why the mother remained in the house: she didn’t want to move on without her son. They had encountered several cases like that; he had met Guang-Hong on a case like that, but what of the other woman? Why wasn’t she passing on? Did she fear her fate after all the wrongs she had done? Was she tied to the home somehow? Was she ever even human and capable of passing on at all? Yuuri  _ needed  _ to know more to make sense of how to rid the home of the evil presence— and it was evil. There was no other way to describe a person who would have a mother and child killed. Especially to have the mother killed in front of the child. 

But how had she convinced the father of the child to murder both? What influence could she have had? 

Yuuri saw a flash of silver out of the corner of his eye, and turned, but was just as suddenly aware of a flicker of negative energy. He gasped as he felt a hard shove that would have sent him tumbling down the stairs, if not for arms that firmly wrapped around his waist and arms and steadied him away from the staircase. 

Yuuri pressed himself against the wall, sinking to the floor as he looked up at a worried Otabek and Yuri with wide eyes, feeling disoriented, adrenaline pulsing through him from the scare, as his hands shook. 

“Hey?! Are you okay?” Yuri asked, drawing the attention of the others. They rushed back, quickly surrounding Yuuri. 

“Something pushed me,” Yuuri whispered in mild disbelief. 

“ _ Who?  _ Was it the same spirit as before?” Yuri asked. 

_ It was Viktor, _ Yuuri’s mind supplied. He looked around at the faces of those who surrounded him, but quickly brushed the idea off. 

What reason would Viktor have for doing something like that? Besides, Viktor wasn’t even there.

“U-um, yeah, I-I think so,” Yuuri stuttered out, trying to force the image of a silver haired silhouette just in front of him as he was pushed. That wasn’t right. He didn’t see anyone, but that didn’t make sense either, he would have seen the spirit, he’d seen her before. 

“... okay? Hey!” Yuuri shifted his attention to a concerned and slightly irritated Yuri. 

“Yuuri, are you sure you’re okay?” 

“Yeah, just… a little startled. I didn’t even see it coming,” he mumbled. 

“Well, we’re heading back downstairs to get more cameras, come with us to get some water or something,” Yuri said, and Otabek held out his hand to help Yuuri to his feet. 

“Yeah, you should calm yourself down a bit, Yuuri. You look really freaked out. We’ll keep going with the walkthrough, okay?” Leo said, looking concerned. 

Yuuri looked at the others to see that they looked equally worried. Why? Did he really look so upset? He was just a little shaken from the almost fall. Nothing more. 

He wanted to argue that he was fine and could keep going, but decided against it, and let Otabek and Yuri lead him down the stairs and onto the couch. Yuri watched him with arms crossed while Otabek brought him a bottle of water. 

“So what happened?” Yuri asked, making Yuuri feel as if he was a kid in trouble. 

“You saw what happened,” Yuuri responded, with an attempt at a laugh. 

“Cut the bullshit, Katsudon! You’re pale as shit and  _ still _ shaking! Why?” 

“I thought… I saw Viktor push me. I  _ know _ he wouldn’t do anything like that,” he quickly added, “but that’s what I saw, and earlier when the mother had told me about the other woman and looked to the door as if she was there, Viktor showed up-“ Yuuri realized what he had said, and quickly stopped himself. 

He didn’t mean to say that. He knew it wasn’t sensible to have a few questionable experiences and draw conclusions so quickly, and he didn’t  _ mean  _ to, but it came out faster than he could process what he was even saying. 

“I-I didn’t mean-“ 

“So you think Viktor’s being targeted, then?” Yuri asked, exchanging a look with Otabek. 

“ _ No!  _ Maybe? I don’t know,” Yuuri sighed. “It could all be a coincidence.” 

“It could be the spirit messing with  _ you _ ,” Yuri supplied. 

“No, I… I mean, I didn’t sense a spirit?” 

“Other than the one you were already talking to?” Otabek asked, sounding unconvinced. 

“What are you implying?” Yuuri asked, sitting up straighter. 

“That the spirit in the kid’s room and the one hurting people are one and the same and she’s only here because she gets a kick out of fucking with people, maybe?” Yuri scoffed. 

“That wouldn’t even be possible!” Yuuri snapped back. “There’s a warding item over the entrance to the room.” 

“ _ Why _ are you getting so worked up about that? It’s  _ just  _ a theory,” Yuri said, getting closer to Yuuri. 

“Because there’s a spirit in distress in that room and you’re implying that she’s the same person that had torn that family apart, and murdered her child!” Yuuri shouted back, standing now.

“ _ Calm down _ ,” Otabek growled, pushing both Yu(u)ri’s away from each other. 

Yuuri sat himself back down on the couch with a huff, while Yuri stormed off in the direction of the kitchen. 

“Why are you taking this so personally?” Otabek asked. 

“Because-“

“No,” Otabek interrupted, “think it through.  _ Why  _ are you taking this so personally? You looked ready to physically fight Yuri.  _ Why  _ aren’t you open to those theories?  _ Why _ are you so set on this single train of thought?” 

Yuuri froze, blinking up at Otabek. 

He was right. Yuuri had never responded so aggressively to something so simple. 

“I need to apologize to Yuri,” he realized, standing, only to have Otabek push him back down. 

“Drink your water, I’ll go get him,” he said, eyeing Yuuri for a moment longer before he headed in the direction Yuri had gone. 

Yuuri nodded, but Otabek was already walking away, anyway. He let out a huff, looking down at the water bottle in his hands. 

This wasn’t like him. He was aware of that; of course he was, but this case was different. This case was horrifying. The crimes that happened were unimaginable, and to blame a  _ victim _ was—

“Hello, beautiful,” Viktor said from just behind him, startling him out of his thoughts and planting a kiss on his cheek before moving around to sit on the couch beside Yuuri. “Have you finished your walkthrough already?” He asked, looking a little skeptical. 

_ Viktor had pushed him _ .

Yuuri shook his head no. 

“Are you okay?” Viktor asked, looking worried now, turning Yuuri’s face towards himself. 

Viktor wouldn’t do that to him. Viktor had  _ just _ told him he would never hurt him, and  _ of course _ he wouldn’t. Not on purpose, at least, Yuuri thought, remembering nearly being choked to death when Viktor was possessed the last case. 

_ But what if he was being influenced this case, too? _

“I snapped at Yura,” he blurted out, trying to change the direction of his train of thought.

“What did he do now?” Viktor asked, exasperated.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Vitya, he was just suggesting a different way of looking at the case and I got so angry and I yelled at him, and... and I upset Yura. I had no right to yell at him like that. Why did I yell at him?” Yuuri asked, turning to face Viktor, not understanding the answer himself. 

Viktor looked over Yuuri’s features, brows furrowed as he tried to understand why Yuuri would lose his calm over something so simple. “Do you think it’s the energy of the house, my love?”

“Even if it is, I had no right!” 

Viktor opened his mouth to respond, when Otabek came back into the room, with Yuri just behind him, looking upset, but not as much as earlier. 

Yuuri was quick to rush over to the boy and envelope him in an embrace. Yuri stiffened at first, but eventually relaxed, although he didn’t hug back. Yuuri pulled back. 

“Yura, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act that way with you. I had no right to act that way with you and I don’t know why I did-“

“Did you drink your water?” Yuri interrupted. 

“I-“ Yuuri looked down at the unopened water bottle that was in his hands, “ n-no…” 

Yuri scoffed and walked away, leaving Yuuri frozen in place. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. 

“He’s not mad at you about your argument anymore,” Otabek reassured him. “Right now he’s mad you didn’t drink your water, but he’s always mad about something, so he’s back to normal.” Otabek chuckled, and moved to gather more equipment. 

Yuuri relaxed, feeling like he could breathe again. He turned, watching Otabek, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or if he was just trying to make him feel better.

“That he is,” Viktor sighed, moving to stand next to Yuuri as he watched Yuri’s retreating form. “I don’t know how he has the energy for it.” 

Yuuri noticed a small smile playing on the corner of Otabek’s lips, who winked at Yuuri as he walked off in the direction Yuri had. 

Yuuri found himself blushing at the implication, and looked away. “What’s wrong, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, looking down at him. 

“O-oh, nothing,” Yuuri mumbled, busying himself with his water bottle. “Are you going to go back to finish setting up?” Yuuri asked, both not wanting him to leave and feeling oddly nervous in his presence.

“No, I think those two can handle it.” Viktor paused, as if something had just occurred to him. “Why weren’t you with the others doing your walkthrough, by the way?” 

“Oh, um, I just wasn’t feeling too well,” he lied, feeling a tremendous amount of guilt begin to build up in his chest. 

Viktor was quickly looking him over and touching his forehead for a fever. “Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous? Lightheaded? You don’t have a fever. Was it… are you still upset about earlier?” He asked, drawing back, and watching Yuuri with a glint of remorse in his eyes. 

_ “No! _ Of  _ course not _ ! It was just a bit of a long trip over here, Vitya,” Yuuri comforted, pulling him into a hug.

“You’re using a different excuse this time,” Viktor mumbled, holding Yuuri close to him. “Something must have really thrown you off if it’s not the energy here that’s bothering you.” Viktor pulled back only enough to meet Yuuri’s eyes. “But you’ll tell me about it when you’re ready won’t you?” 

Yuuri nodded silently, both maintaining eye contact as Yuuri tried to make sense of why he would ever think the man who held him like he was protecting him from the world would ever want to hurt him and Viktor tried to figure out how he could protect Yuuri from anything if he couldn’t protect him from his own anxieties. 

Viktor let out a huff and tucked Yuuri’s head under his chin. “Do you want to go for a walk?” 

“And leave the others to do all the work?” Yuuri asked, pretending to sound appalled.

“Yura always says I’m a bad influence, besides it’ll be romantic! A walk in the woods.” 

Yuuri laughed, a genuine smile forming on his lips as he pulled away and looked up at Viktor. “Nothing screams romance like escaping to have a private walk through the woods surrounding a house where a horrific murder took place.” 

Viktor shrugged, pressing a light kiss to Yuuri’s lips. “We have to work with what we’ve got.” 

“What we’ve got sounds like the beginnings of a slasher movie,” Yuuri teased, but was already at the door, holding it open for Viktor. 

“They won’t even notice we’re gone,” he assured Yuuri, taking his hand, swinging it between them. 

“No, not until there’s only two left.” 

“I could be the killer. It would be a movie worthy plot twist,” Viktor joked, and Yuuri couldn’t help but tense. He let out a forced laugh. “And how would you have gotten away with it if you’re supposed to be walking with me?”

“Hmm… an evil twin?” Viktor guessed, then laughed. “This is why I’m a paranormal investigator and not a screenwriter, Yuuri!” 

“I’m sure your twist to your plot twist would have captivated theaters around the world,” Yuuri reassured him, pressing himself against Viktor’s side. They both seemed to have quietly decided that they would be satisfied with only walking beside the woods, instead of making their way in. 

“Have I told you I loved you today?” Viktor asked, drawing Yuuri’s attention up to him. 

“Of course you have, Vitya. That’s not something you usually forget,” Yuuri teased, but stopped when Viktor stopped walking. 

“I love you,” Viktor told him, and the amount of feeling behind his words made Yuuri’s heart stutter. “I want you to know just how completely I treasure you and the time we spend together. I could tell you anything like that terrible movie twist and you’re nothing but supportive. I love our conversations, as silly as they are and that they could be that way. I want you to know that, in case you have any doubts from before.” Viktor raised Yuuri’s hand to his lips and placed a kiss on his knuckles. 

Yuuri wanted to respond in kind; to tell Viktor how much he loved his smile, how he loved how affectionate and confident he was and the way he was making Yuuri more sure about himself. He loved how well they went together, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to voice any of it. It wasn’t fear that Viktor would mock him, or reject him. He was long past that fear, and it wasn’t that he doubted any of it. It was just… that his mouth wouldn’t open to say those words. He let the moments drag on without a word, until Viktor gave him an awkward smile and continued their walk, keeping Yuuri’s hand in his. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 😖😖😖 I’m doing my best! This chapter is shorter than the others, but I thought that was a good place to end it. I thought this case was gonna be a few days longer, but honestly things are happening pretty fast in it! The next chapter might be the last, but I’m gonna leave it out of 5 chapters until i know for sure! I’m sorry for the long wait!! ❤️❤️ There’s something really comforting about writing for this fandom but time is going by so fast! School is trying to kill me, too 😖. The next chapter won’t take longer than a month, tho! I promise!!

When they finally got back, the others seemed to have finished and were explaining to Sara and Mila the purpose of the equipment and the activity that would mean paranormal activity. The two women were nodding along to their explanations and asking questions regarding why certain things happened, and why certain aspects of a ghost could be detected and why some couldn’t, to which the others explained the causes to the best of their ability. 

Yuri sat off to the side, and away from the monitors, typing away and researching what he could of the history of the house and family that were thought to be the culprits. Every now and then he would grumble or curse, letting them know exactly how well his research was actually going. They kept a close eye on the monitors the remainder of the day, but didn’t find anything notable happening in any of the rooms for the entirety of the day, and again Yuuri felt as if the calm wasn’t one they should feel relieved about. 

He thinks he might have been too deep in thought, or maybe trying too hard to sense something because when Viktor laid a reassuring hand on his knee, he jumped away startled. The man gave him a half smile in apology and pressed a kiss to his temple, and Yuuri forced himself to relax. It was just Viktor, after all. The anxiety caused from waiting for something to happen had him wound too tightly, and he couldn’t wait for this to be over. 

They stayed up a few hours into the night, trying to keep watch of any activity, but after three hours with nothing, they decided to call it a day and check the cameras in the morning. 

They retreated to their respective rooms, and Yuuri had finally found himself a little more at ease. When left to his own thoughts away from the investigation, he could just enjoy being in Viktor’s company. It had been so long since they had shared a bed, and Yuuri was able to remember how cuddly the other man was. Viktor kissed Yuuri's head goodnight before switching off the lamp and pulling the man close, making Yuuri laugh lightly, but snuggle into him. Their legs tangled together and Yuuri pressed his head against Viktor's chest, eliciting a delighted hum from the man. 

***

_ Yuuri blinked his eyes drowsily, rubbing at them to clear his vision a bit. He sat up slowly, taking note of Viktor, who was seated at the edge of the bed.  _

_ “Viktor? Vitya, what are you doing? Come lay down again, it's cold,” Yuuri tried, going to wrap his arms around the man's back.  _

_ Suddenly, Viktor turned and Yuuri felt a cold, sharp pain against his neck before he saw Viktor raise his arm again, a bloodied knife grasped tightly in his hand as he stood and watched Yuuri as he wrapped his hand around his bloodied neck, gasping for breath. _

_ *** _

Yuuri shot up, still gasping for breath, but the blood was gone, and so was the cut. He let out a relieved breath and pressed his face into his shaking hands as his feeling flashed repeatedly into his mind. He turned back to see Viktor sleeping peacefully and smiled shakily, clearing hair out of his boyfriend's face. 

It was just a dream. He laid himself back down, next to Viktor and kissed him gently on the cheek before trying to go back to sleep, but the nightmare didn't end when Yuuri woke up.

Once he fell asleep, it played again and again in an endless loop. Each time Viktor would slice open his throat and watch, face devoid of any emotion as he bled out, then it would start over. 

By the time morning had arrived, Yuuri could barely stand to be next to Viktor, and quickly untangled himself from his arms, mumbling something about going to shower when Viktor sleepily sat up and asked him where he was going. 

He slammed the door of their shared room behind him and locked himself in the restroom, seating himself on the edge of the bathtub as his hands rubbed at his neck. 

_ Nothing _ . 

No scars, no cut, nothing. He stood, and examined himself in the mirror: nothing. Viktor wouldn't hurt him, and yet he felt unreasonable dread when he thought of having to face him when he left the restroom again. Still, he couldn't stay forever, and once he had finished freshening up and dressing, he decided to head to the kitchen and start breakfast for the others instead.

Guang-Hong and Leo were the first ones up after himself and helped him set the table, with Otabek following shortly after, with several marks on his neck. 

“We're guests in Sara and Mila’s home, Otabek. You shouldn't be doing those things,” he teased.

“Or was it the ghost?” Leo asked, unable to keep the smile from spreading on his lips. 

Yuuri froze at the comment, flashes of his nightmare coming back to him, his hand reaching up his throat. 

“You too, Yuuri?” Leo teased before realizing that Yuuri's eyes had gone glassy and he was trembling. 

Otabek quickly turned off the stove and guided Yuuri to a seat, where he seemed to curl in on himself. “What happened?” He asked. 

Yuuri opened his mouth to respond, just as Viktor entered the room. He quickly caught sight of Yuuri. 

“Yuuri, oh my god are you okay? What happened?” He asked, going to caress Yuuri, only to have the man jump out of his seat and away from him as if burned. 

Yuuri saw the hurt in Viktor's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by the memory of Viktor's uncaring expression . His eyes looked over Viktor, but he found nothing on him. She hadn't attached to him, she hadn't possessed him, it was still his Viktor, but he felt  _ wrong _ . Being near him made his stomach drop, his hands shake, and his breathing speed up. He didn't want him to touch him, or even be in the same room as him. 

Suddenly, he heard the laughter again. His head snapped up from Viktor as he surveyed the room, but he couldn't see her. The laughter got louder and louder until Yuuri could see his team's mouths moving, but he could only hear the laughter. 

“Katsudon? Oi, Katsudon!” He heard Yuri call out. When had he gotten there? 

The laughter faded and he saw that the others were focused on him, a mixture of fear and worry in their eyes. Even Mila, Sara, and Phichit had joined in the small span of time that he had looked away. 

“Snap out of it!” 

“Did you hear her? Did you see her?” He asked Guang-Hong and Leo. Both shook their heads. 

“Yuuri are-” 

“I'm sorry, I didn't sleep well. I-I'll just go see if I can get a bit more rest, I'm sorry,” he said, rushing out of the room, with Viktor calling out for him, but he didn't follow. Yuuri could only assume that someone had stopped him because of his earlier reaction to him. 

***

Yuuri’s nightmare continued, the same endless loop; the same sharp pain, cold press of the blade, and the feeling of choking as his boyfriend watched, uninterested. Tears began to spill at the mere sight of him as they got further along and he would do his best to move as far away as possible as soon as the dream restarted, but Victor would always catch him and stare through him as he slit his throat. 

When he woke up, he found that he hardly had the strength or courage to open the bedroom door. For a long time, Yuuri remained sitting up on the bed, simply staring at the door, hearing the occasional voice drift through. When he stepped out of the room, how different was it out there compared to in here? He had only faced Viktor for a minute, and he felt like his heart was going to explode from how quickly it beat. He wanted to believe that Viktor wouldn’t hurt him. Of  _ course _ he wouldn’t hurt him! But… why couldn’t he go out to face him.

The door slowly opened, and Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was relieved or distraught when Viktor came through the door. He was holding a tray of food, and when he saw Yuuri was awake, he gave him a small smile, kicking the door closed behind him. He set it down on Yuuri’s lap, and sat beside him. 

“I brought you food, since you missed breakfast.” 

“What time is it?” He asked, his stomach churning as he looked down at the borscht he was sure Viktor had prepared him. 

“Past noon,” he said, lips curving into a slight frown when Yuuri didn’t immediately begin eating. “What’s wrong, darling? Are you not feeling well?” He asked, placing a gentle hand on his forehead. 

Yuuri forced himself to sit still and pick up his spoon. “Thank you,” he mumbled, giving Viktor a strained smile. 

He forced down spoonfuls of his food until he felt it would all come up at once if he tried to stomach one more. When Viktor saw he was done, he tentatively took it, and placed it on the nightstand beside him. 

“We’ve been looking over the case details. Yuri thinks there might only be one spirit here. He said in all the visions he’s had he’s only felt the presence of one-“

“Of course he has, the other woman remains in the hidden room,” Yuuri interrupted, catching Viktor off guard. 

“With such a gruesome death, the boy’s spirit should have lingered if the mother did. They were the most tragic victims, why would only one remain? It’s… possible that-“

“Why would a mother do that to her child?!” Yuuri snapped, shoving the covers off of himself and standing.

“Do what, Yuuri?” Viktor asked, slowly following him up. 

He shook his head. “No… nothing. I’m sorry, you’re right. We should keep looking into this with the others.” 

“I’d like to know what you were thinking. We had thought maybe the killer’s spirit was disguising herself as the victim. Have you had a reason to believe the spirit in the nursery-”

“I-I’m not sure. I think I just misunderstood. It didn’t occur to me that it could be only a single spirit.”

“Yura says he suggested it to you yesterday,”  _ and that you reacted just as aggressively, _ his words seemed to imply. 

“I- can go back. I can check on the spirit in that room-“

“I don’t think you should,” Viktor told him, and it made Yuuri angrier. Hadn’t they  _ just _ talked about this? 

“You said you wouldn’t do that anymore,” he told him, taking Viktor aback. 

“Yuuri- I’m only trying to- whatever spirit is in there is keeping you from working professionally on this case!” 

“Of course  _ you _ can stay professional on these cases! You don’t have to  _ feel _ what they feel! I can’t just shake it off, Viktor. It’s not something I feel in their presence, it’s in this house! Their emotions are my emotions, and you want! That’s the way it always is! I’ve told you that, you knew that, so how can you ask me to detach myself from this case when you know I love him!”

_ How could he leave him like this? They had been married for years, they had a child, and now he was throwing it all away for her?! No, he wasn’t throwing it all away, only him. He was taking it all away from him, his house, his son. He wanted his son. He would take his- _ Yuuri placed a hand on his head, feeling the room begin to spin. 

It felt as if there was too much in his head. He felt Viktor’s hands try to steady him, but pulled away with a sharp “Don’t touch me!” But the voice sounded so far away. Was it really him that had spoken? He heard Viktor call out to someone, but didn’t hear or see anything else before he felt the world slip away. 

The next time he woke up, he was on a bed, with Guang-Hong sitting at his side, a small smile on his lips, and behind him was Viktor. 

“Are you feeling okay, Yuuri?” Guang-Hong asked, his voice soft, but still glazed in concern. 

“Yeah,” he said, sitting up. “I just got overwhelmed, I guess.”

“You didn’t… feel anything else?” He asked, sharing a look with Viktor that lasted a good deal longer than Yuuri thought it should have. 

“What else could there be to feel?” He asked him, trying to brush off the idea. 

“You didn’t feel any kind of malicious intent? Or an evil presence?” 

“You... were here. Did you feel something?” He asked, not understanding the question. 

Guang-Hong gave a nervous laugh and waved it off. “No, I was just wondering. It’s my turn to watch the cameras. I’ll go before Phichit’s eyes shrivel up and fall out!” 

He shared another glance with Viktor as he made his way out, laying a hand on his shoulder and giving him a small smile, and Yuuri felt his hands tighten their hold on the blanket. He quickly recollected himself, not understanding his reaction, and when he looked back up, Viktor was standing at his side. 

“Who do you love, Yuuri?” He asked him, and Yuuri wondered if he was trying to get him to say him, but it didn’t have the playful teasing tone he usually had when he asked him that and expected himself to be the answer. 

“What do you mean?” He asked, staring up at Viktor, and taking one of his hands into his own. It felt cold. He held it between his own and tried to warm it up. 

“Yuuri… you said ‘how can you try to detach me from this case when you know I love him.’ What did you mean?”

Yuuri blinked up at him at that. He didn’t remember having spoken those words, but “maybe I misspoke? Vitya, I don’t remember saying that,” he told him honestly. 

Viktor watched him for a while, but nodded and sat down on the bed beside Yuuri. “Are you feeling better?” He asked him, taking Yuuri’s hands in his own. 

He nodded and smiled at Viktor, but still found it a little difficult to do so. “I am. Thank you,” he told him, pressing a feather light kiss to his nose. 

It seemed to do wonders to reassure Viktor, and the man was quickly upon him, pulling him close and kissing his air with a sigh of relief, and yet Yuuri didn’t know how to respond. Maybe he was just upset.

Twice.

They had fought twice already on their first case as a couple. Was this how every case would be? Would it always be a constant tug of war between them? They had worked so well on their first case, he mourned. He thought it was going to be wonderful; Viktor understood him and parapsychology. At least, one of those remained true, but it was the other that devastated him. He hugged Viktor tighter, hoping for the same love he had had for him only days ago would return, but he felt… nothing. 

When Viktor pulled back and had a smile on his handsome face, his eyes only looking at Yuuri, his heart didn’t stutter and his smile didn’t immediately echo his like it should have. Like it always did. He had worked with and around spirits long enough to know that all things must end. 

Maybe this was the end of them. 

Maybe it was just… 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was minding my business and I saw the teaser for Ice Adolescence and I was like SHIT! FUCK! MY FANFIC! I was so overwhelmed with my finals I had honestly lost this chapter in the middle of essays and other nonsense I now have in my google drive. But! I finished! Mostly! The last chapter will probably just be an epilogue.

Yuuri resigned himself to accepting that he would have to deal with whatever issues he might have alone and wait until the case had ended to discuss them with Viktor. After all, there was no reason to add something else to an already difficult case. And if a small part of him hoped that it was only the case that had made him feel that way, he didn’t face that theory head on, but took it into his account to not be hasty. 

Yuuri sat in the living area with the others, pressed close against Viktor’s side to make room for everyone on the couch and the two recliners. The memory of the dreams still made him a little uneasy at being so close to the man, but he did his best to remain logical and convince himself that Viktor would never hurt him. Beside him, Viktor looked relieved that Yuuri was back beside him, and kept a hand intertwined with his. Yuuri couldn’t help but look at their locked hands every few minutes, and force down the feeling of unease. 

“I’m so glad you guys are here,” Mila said, snapping Yuuri back to the present. She was looking back to the kitchen where Sara, Leo, and Otabek were getting everyone something to drink. “She hasn’t looked this relaxed in a while,” she confided in them. “I mean… from what you have told us, we should be worried, but,” she laughed. “I don’t know how to put it, it’s like knowing you got bitten by an incredibly venomous snake, but you have the antidote, and before, we didn’t know what type of snake it was, we had no way to cure the bite.”

Yuuri could see how tired she looked when they had first gotten there, and while she looked better, she still looked tired. He wondered if she’d been having nightmares, too. 

He flinched when Viktor began to speak beside him. 

“We’re happy to help,” he responded, sending Yuuri a smile, that Yuuri responded to with his own strained smile. 

“Hey, Katsudon, you okay? You’re kinda jumpy,” Yuri said, drawing everyone’s attention to him. 

“O-oh, yeah. Just the energy of this house makes me a little nervous.” 

Yuri hummed in response, but continued to regard him suspiciously, glancing to the kitchen where Otabek was currently.

When he looked back, he tilted his head to look past Yuuri and at the monitors. “Son of a bitch,” he grumbled, standing and going over to them just as the others were returning. 

“What happened?” Otabek asked, putting the cups down on the coffee table and going to stand where Yuri had been as the boy jogged out of the room.

“They all went down except-“

“Yuri!” Leo shouted, dropping everything he was holding with a resounding crash, and running out of the room just as a startled cry and thuds were heard. 

Yuuri felt his blood run cold as he ran into the hall and saw Yuri lying unconscious at the foot of the stairs, with cruel, high-pitched laughter echoing around them. 

“I’ll call an ambulance,” he heard Mila say behind him, but couldn’t tear his eyes away, couldn’t react, not as Otabek shoved past them, checking his breathing, and pulse, careful not to move him, or as Viktor urged him to do something from beside him. 

Everything sounded muffled: Phichit asking Leo what happened, Mila shouting into her phone, Leo’s explanation that she had pushed him, Otabek telling Yuri he was going to be okay, Viktor calling out to him repeatedly. The thing that finally broke Yuuri out was the sound of Sara praying fervently. 

“Don’t do that!” He yelled more forcefully than he should have, scaring the girl. “I-It’ll make it worse. You’ll upset the spirit, and we need to keep Yuri… we need to make sure the paramedics can get to him.” 

Yuuri quickly turned away and went to Yuri’s side, unwilling to even clear the hair from his face out of fear of hurting him. He held shaky hands just over Yuri’s head, feeling for injury and allowing what little energy he had begin to heal Yuri. 

It was slow. Slower than he’d ever been, and he was frustrated to the point of tears. 

“I can’t,” he choked out. “It’s not working.” 

“ _ Why not _ ?” Otabek demanded, a snarl more than actual words. 

“He hasn’t been getting enough rest, Otabek. You can’t expect him to be able to do this with the way he’s been!” Phichit hissed. 

“We need to seal the spirit in so it doesn’t attach itself to Yuri and do something worse,” Guang-Hong said, rushing past them and to the front door. 

“I’ll help,” Leo said, moving towards the back of the house. 

“I-I can set up a ward on Yuri,” he hiccuped, switching to Japanese as he began an incantation.

Mila ran out the door behind them, and soon enough Yuuri heard several footsteps stomp into the house. 

He had just concluded, as Viktor pulled him out of the way and held him as Yuri was taken away. 

“Go with him,” Viktor told Otabek, who nodded and followed them out. 

The door slammed shut, trapping them in a painful silence. Yuuri hiccuped in Viktor’s arms, still staring at the spot Yuri had been. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled. 

“It’s not your fault,” Yuuri heard and felt Viktor say from behind him. 

“But I couldn’t-“ 

“ _ Why _ do you always blame yourself, Yuuri?!” Viktor yelled, as he spun him around to face him. Yuuri flinched, and drew back, but Viktor held him firmly in place. “You’re amazing, Yuuri. You’re strong, smart, kind, and I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to this world or the next, but you  _ can’t  _ stop all the bad things from happening.” Viktor sighed, and Yuuri looked up to see him blinking away tears. He wanted to apologize again, but he knew it would make things worse so he just pulled Viktor into a hug, feeling the man melt into him, and felt as he cried quietly into Yuuri’s hair and Yuuri hated the way it felt. 

He hated how foreign it felt to hold Viktor and how distant he had grown from him in the past two days. He hated how he felt nothing as Viktor told him he thought he was amazing, or as he held him, or as Viktor cried. 

He hated that he felt as if he was falling out of love with him. Or maybe he already had? 

His train of thought was interrupted by Phichit. “Maybe we should review the footage,” he whispered. 

“I don’t think it matters now,” Leo quickly interjected. 

“Why wouldn’t it?” 

“B-because I didn’t see the woman push Yuri down the stairs... I saw Yuuri.” 

Yuuri’s attention snapped up to Leo, then to the others. They had  _ seen _ him in the living room. He couldn’t have done that to Yuri. He  _ wouldn’t  _ have. 

“That’s not-“ 

“I  _ know _ . That’s why I’m saying it  _ doesn’t  _ matter. Yuuri was with you, this thing is just trying to mess with our heads,” Leo tried, but was ignored by Viktor who went back to the monitors, with Phichit and Guang-Hong beside him. 

Yuuri stood frozen, his eyes locked onto the top of the stairs, not knowing what he was expecting to see.

He heard the buzz of static from the living room, and felt each beat of his heart thrum through his body. He took slow, stiff steps back to the others, scared of what he was going to see on the monitors. 

As he drew closer, the buzz became so loud it was all he could hear. It was deafening; the white noise fell over everything like something tangible, and enveloped Yuuri’s mind. Everything felt surreal. 

He wasn’t here, he was still in Detroit, planning for the last season. Yuri was okay and in St. Petersburg with Viktor, who he still loved so much, that the mere thought of him would make him smile like a fool and make his heart soar. 

Yuuri didn’t even notice that he drew closer, watching as Viktor bent down to whisper something to Guang-Hong, who nodded, sneaking a glance at Yuuri. 

_ They think you did it _ , a voice in his head whispered to him.  _ They’re plotting against you _ .  _ They wanted to get rid of you. Why is he so close to Guang-Hong? He’s a lot like you. Viktor’s tired of you _ . 

“Yuuri?” he heard Guang-Hong say. 

He looked up, feeling his body react slower than he had. “We’re going to try and get the cameras working again. We need you to help with the one in the boy’s room.”

_ That one isn’t down _ . 

“That one is still working,” he said, looking to the screen to see that it was, in fact, still working. 

“We just need to change the battery on that one. W-we’re going to split up. I’ll go with you to that one,” he hesitated, glancing quickly over to Viktor who gave a subtle nod. 

“ _ Why _ ?” Yuuri asked. 

“It’s not safe to go around alone,” Viktor responded. 

“I hardly think Yuri wouldn’t still be on his way to the hospital if someone else had gone with him,” he spat back, drawing back at the harshness of his statement. 

“I- that’s not-“

“It’s okay, c’mon, Yuuri,” Guang-Hong insisted, locking his arm with Yuuri’s and taking the battery pack Viktor held out for him. 

Yuuri peeked up at the man, but found only the closed off, cold look he hadn’t seen since they had gotten close. Yuuri’s breath hitched, and he quickly looked away. 

Something was wrong. Of course something was wrong, with the way Viktor looked at him, and Guang-Hong kept glancing at him. 

They entered the room, and Yuuri felt himself become angrier the closer they got. It was irrational, and he knew it, but he couldn’t stop it from bubbling up in his chest until he felt so frustrated he could scream. 

By the time he reached the entryway to the boy’s room, his teeth were clenched so hard he thought they would break. 

Guang-Hong pulled his arm out of Yuuri’s and nervously smiled at him, handing him the battery pack with a shaky hand.

Yuuri turned to step into the room, but couldn’t make his body move to set foot in. It made him angrier that he couldn’t even do something as simple as this. He looked down at the battery pack for a moment, then threw it, narrowly missing hitting Guang-Hong, who took a step back, raising his arms to his chest in surrender. 

“Y-yuuri, are you o-okay?” 

“What are you trying to do?” He asked, taking a step closer to the shaking boy. 

“We-we’re all just trying to close the case, Yuuri.” 

“ _ Viktor!” _ Guang-Hong screamed, and released his shiki to trap Yuuri, who felt equal parts confused and enraged. 

Viktor and Leo ran into the room, and as soon as Leo began to pray, he felt the edge of his vision begin to go black. Why was he doing an exorcism?! He would hurt every spirit that resided in the house.

“ _ Stop! _ ” Yuuri commanded. “What are you doing?! You’ll hurt the innocent spirits that-” 

“There’s only one spirit here, Yuuri,” Viktor told him. “She’s been lying to you about what she’s done and who she’s hurt.”

“ _ They deserved it! They all deserved it! _ ” He heard himself almost screech, but it felt like the words were overpowered by Leo’s prayers.

Everything was overpowered by his prayers. 

**————**

The first thing Yuuri was aware of when he came to was that he wasn’t laying in a bed, or even on the floor; he felt the steady up and down of someone breathing around him and heard the slightly faster than usual beat of a heart next to his ear. He slowly opened his eyes to find Viktor holding him, with a look of concern, which quickly melted to relief when he saw Yuuri’s eyes blink open. 

Yuuri choked out a sob, throwing his arms around Viktor’s neck and pulling him into a kiss, that the man enthusiastically returned when he got over the initial surprise. 

Yuuri whimpered at the feeling of warmth, and comfort, and  _ surety  _ he felt being with Viktor. His lover pulled back, resting his forehead against Yuuri’s as he searched his face for any indication of what was wrong. “Did I hurt you?” He breathed out, moving his hands to cradle Yuuri’s face. 

Yuuri shook his head, placing a hand over Viktor’s. 

“I missed you  _ so much _ .” 

“Yuuri, I’ve been here this whole time,” Viktor mumbled, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“But I wasn’t,” Yuuri responded, feeling a tear run down his cheek. “I had nightmares of you— a-and they felt so real that when I woke up I was still scared and I didn’t want you to touch me, and I didn’t want you anywhere near me, but I knew that wasn’t right— that it didn’t make sense, so I forced myself to try and act normal, but I  _ hated _ how it felt and I hated that it felt that way.” 

“I… is it terrible that I made myself believe every lie you told about being tired and feeling uncomfortable because of the energy of this place because I didn’t want to believe you didn’t love me anymore?” 

Yuuri opened and closed his mouth, looking up at Viktor, whose own eyes looked watery as he looked down at Yuuri with a sad smile. 

He felt his heart all but break as he wondered how Viktor must have felt every time Yuuri flinched, pulled away, or avoided him. Every time Yuuri responded to a loving smile by averting his eyes. He let himself cry this time, apologizing as he held onto Viktor as if the man would disappear, and having Viktor hold him just as tightly in return. 

“I really didn’t like this case,” Yuuri hiccupped, holding onto Viktor for a moment longer before pulling back and pressing another kiss to Viktor’s lips. “Would you marry me?”    
  
  
  


. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA! Look! A double meaning! Get it? The Veil? Cuz... the spirit had lied to ruby about killing her husband, kid, and his lover and acting like the victim to trick Yuuri. Ah... I guess the unfinished business this one had was protecting her secret.... I watch a lot of deadly women, okay? BUT ALSO! THEY'RE GETTING MARRIED! I would write another arc, but I'm terrible at coming up with ghost stories. Hmmm... I could do some googling, but I really can't make any promises this time. I really liked writing ghost stories and this fic, but sometimes I have trouble connecting the plot that I laid out and it gets frustrating.... I'm really sorry I made ya'll wait like two years 😭😭🥺💔. Thanks for reading and commenting and the kudos.  
> Oh! Yuri's okay. Doesn't appreciate that all the cases end with him in the hospital, but just has a concussion.

**Author's Note:**

> Let it be known that I get all my information from the Ghost Hunt manga/anime, the glossary for psi, and google.
> 
> Clairvoyant- Clairvoyance is the alleged ability to gain information about an object, person, location, or physical event through extrasensory perception. Any person who is claimed to have some such ability is said accordingly to be a clairvoyant. (**NOT precognition)
> 
> Criteria for a poltergeist- E. Tisane's criteria for poltergeist activity is 1.Shaking objects 2.opening and closing doors 3.making disembodied noises 4. Disembodied knocking 5 . glass breaking 6.heating of objects 7.possession 8.shying to outsiders, but escalating with familiarity 9 . physical harm (I personally don't know what's up with this, I tried to look it up to make sure the information was right, but could find near nothing. I don't even know if it's a real thing, but lucky for me it's based on a manga au so it doesn't have to be :D?)
> 
> Extrasensory Perception- perception (as in telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition) that involves awareness of information about events external to the self not gained through the senses and not deducible from previous experience — called also ESP
> 
> Medium- a person in contact with the spirits of the dead and that can communicate between the dead and the living.
> 
> 9 cuts- used by shinto practitioners, the nine symbolic represent concepts integral to channeling your body energy/chi, with gestures accompanying each. They roughly stand for physical and mental strength, channeling energy, harmony with the universe, healing, sensing danger, empathy, awareness, control of nature, and enlightenment. They can be useful for warding off spirits and demons.
> 
> Onmyodo/onmyoji- Onmyoji are a special group of Japanese diviners who base their arts on Chinese traditions. Yin and Yang duality, as well as the five chinese elements (wood, earth, water, fire, and metal) are key to their philosophies. The way of onmyo was initially brought to Japan from China. (There's a little more to it, but whatever you need to know will be explained later in the story.)
> 
> Parapsychology- the study of mental phenomena that are excluded from or inexplicable by orthodox scientific psychology (such as hypnosis, telepathy, etc)
> 
> Pk:  
> Lt (Bio-PK)- Term used to refer to psychokinetic effects brought about on living systems (ability to influence a living thing); examples of such effects would be the paranormal speeding up or slowing down of the sprouting of seeds or of the growth of bacteria, the resuscitation of anæsthetized mice, curing illness with a touch, etc; may also include influence over someone's emotions; symbolized “PK-LT”
> 
> Mt- ability to influence a moving object (influencing the outcome of a dice)
> 
> St- ability to influence a static object (levitating an object)
> 
> Psychometry- refers to the practice in which sensitives hold an object in their hands and obtain paranormal information about the object or its owner;
> 
> Precognition- A form of extrasensory perception in which the target is some future event that cannot be deduced from normally known data in the present.
> 
> Retro-cognition- refers to a form of extrasensory perception in which the target is some past event which could not have been learned or inferred by normal means


End file.
